Tim Williams

Tim G. Williams
PhD

I model resilience and transformation in agri-food systems.

I am an interdisciplinarian -- an engineer turned geographer -- with expertise in agent-based modelling, spatial analysis, and qualitative content analysis.

My main research interest is in understanding how agricultural and food systems can transition to become more sustainable and equitable in the face of global change. I study the social relations between actors in agri-food systems, and the mechanisms through which they can reconfigure in a sustainability transition. Equity is a key theme underpinning my research, and a goal that I aspire towards in my scientific practice.

I am currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Environmental Geography Group at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. My research here focuses on understanding the networks of actors that impact European agriculture, and the power relations embedded in their interactions.

In August 2021, I graduated with a PhD in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. In my dissertation I used agent-based modelling to examine strategies for building resilience in smallholder agricultural systems. My postdoctoral research builds on this prior experience by transitioning to a European context and a larger scale of analysis.

Please use the links below to view my Twitter, Google Scholar, and Github accounts. I also (very) occasionally make blog posts on this site. You can see these under the "Blog" link in the site's header.